Karen’s Kitchen Kapitolyo is a love-themed, hearty comfort food restaurant by Karen Young, who is famous for her red velvet and other yummy cakes. It’s her first venture into the restaurant business, featuring her home-cooked recipes.
It’s also a personification of her “Journey of Healing”, as documented in her once secret blog, Butterfly in the Spring.
Check out the beautiful story of Karen’s restaurant and our favorite dishes from her menu…
KAREN’S KITCHEN KAPITOLYO
17A San Rafael St Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig
Telephone: +632 696-3332 or 234-5118
Mobile: +63 917 539-4968
Website: http://www.karenskitchen.com.ph/
Facebook: Karen’s Kitchen
Operating Hours:
Monday – Saturday Dine-in: 12 nn – 9 pm
Cake Pickups: 11 am – 9 pm
Sundays: CLOSED
The restaurant ambiance is homey, with flower-themed designs and a palette that is predominantly red–the color of love.
The restaurant carries the full line of Karen’s cakes, but it’s still best to call and reserve the ones you like in advance.
Here’s a closer look at the Karen’s Kitchen Soft Opening Menu.
Welcome to the main dining area, which you can also book for your private functions.
I like restaurants with a piano because my son Joshua can showcase what he’s learned in piano class.
Reserve these tables by the photogenic side of the resto if you’re going with a big group.
Read her first post from December 2011: This, Too, Shall Pass. These posts give you an idea of what the blog is about: Husband Thief, Dear Demi (and other Demi’s) and Offense: Enemy’s Bait.
Her latest post, My Easter Pictures 2015 provides a context of where she is in her healing journey and what the restaurant is all about.
The Instagrammable wall, featuring a garden gate leading to the beautiful flowers of Spring surrounded by butterflies.
This 100 year-old Detroit Jewel gas cooking stove is the highlight piece of the restaurant, previously owned by Ed Coleman, who is also going through a healing journey of his own because of the loss of his son, Jake.
Read Ed’s post on “It’s Gonna Be a Tough Few Weeks” on his blog, The Infinite Fountain–a Father’s journey through the labyrinth of loss and longing.
You can read the touching story of the vintage oven from Ed Colman’s post, Message from Manila (December 8, 2014), before you visit.
These vintage items represent things old, broken, and lost–then found and given new life.
Each piece has its own story. Can you imagine the time when people were still using the universal manual cake mixer?
Appetizers:
All the appetizers are healthy because Karen wants to eat her carbs as desserts.
✮ Kale & Sweet Potato Chips with Balsamic Vinaigrette (P155)
Start with super food kale with baked sweet potato dipped in balsamic vinaigrette. This dish is both yummy healthy–our boys loved it!
✮ Artichoke Hearts & Garlic Olive Oil (P245)
An enjoyable dish of artichoke hearts in olive oil topped on heart-shaped wheat bread.
Shitake Dip with 3 Crispy Pastry Shells (P295)
The heart-shaped crispy pastry shells aren’t just cute, they’re also good topped with the sumptuous flavor of mushroom.
US Angus Beef Sexy Heat Slider Set (P325)
We loved these burger sliders with thick, juicy patties–tasty and fun to eat with the soft bun. Served with salad and air-fried potato chips.
Soup
Meatball Ribbon Soup (P175) with parmesan disc.
This meatball soup is sweet with a clean taste of tomato, served with pasta, parmesan, and bread sticks.
Crispizzas
✮ Summer Garden (P285). Tomato, Basil sauce, Zucchini, Kale, Artichoke Hearts, Garlic, Parmesan Mozzarella.
Very thin crispy pizza with generous servings of super food vegetable salad. So good!
Chicken Pesto (P285). Pesto, Chicken, and Tomato.
Order this if you want some meat on your crispizza.
Pasta
✮ Mushroom Truffle Angel Hair Pasta (P395)
This is the best pasta for us. You can really taste the full flavor of mushroom with the right mix of truffle, served with super thin pasta and challah Jewish bread sticks.
Aligue Pasta (P275)
The aligue pasta is one of their bestsellers, but we didn’t like the aligue flavor, which seemed a bit diluted.
Bolognese Meat Sauce Pasta (P195)
If you like a simple pasta, order this meatball version, which our boys loved.
Lughanigue (P275). Sun-Dried Tomato, Garlic, Basil Pasta.
For something unique, try this pasta served with little lughanigue sausages paired with sun-dried tomatoes, with garlic and basil flavors.
Main Dishes
✮ Squid Ink Quinoa (P500). Good for 2.
This is the best dish at Karen’s Kitchen Kapitolyo! Quinoa soaked in squid ink, served like a black paella on a paellera. Make sure to pre-order one day before.
Baby Back Ribs with Rice (P395). 24 hours pre-order.
The meat is cooked 6-8 hours and falls off the bone easily. The barbecue sauce is so addicting that you want to wipe the plate clean with some rice or bread.
Herbed Chicken with Rice (P215). 3 hours pre-order with side dish of Quinoa vegetable medley with side salad (P195).
For a healthy and complete meal, order this juicy herbed chicken slow cooked for 1.5 hours, with faux rice made from quinoa, mixed with corn and other vegetables. Super good!
Desserts
You can order Karen’s Signature Red Velvet Cake if you haven’t tried it.
The best dessert is this Liquid Chocolate with Baked Beignets (P115)!
Beignets are like the French version of the Spanish churros. Karen’s beignets come with this perfectly yummy secret chocolate sauce.
Scone with Jam & Cream 2 pcs. (P115)
Karen is such a master home baker that even these simple scones taste so good. Not too heavy, with just the right balance of crunchiness and crumbliness that you’ll love to eat.
Order the three flavors of Frozen Brazo—Vanilla (P135), Green Tea (P131), and Strawberry (P165).
Dessert is best eaten when you have friends and family fighting over it!
Trivia: This house was set up to resemble the home in Karen’s Kitchen logo.
Overall, Karen’s Kitchen Kapitolyo is a happy place for foodies who like healthy, yummy food in a spring-inspired home restaurant. Understanding the story behind the restaurant will give you a much better appreciation of your dining experience here.
Don’t miss the Kale & Sweet Potato Chips and Artichoke Hearts & Garlic Olive Oil to start. I also recommend the Mushroom Truffle Angel Hair Pasta and the Summer Garden Crispizza for something more filling and satisfying.
Make sure to order the signature Squid Ink Quinoa and Baby Back Ribs a day in advance.
Save your carbs for dessert and order the Liquid Chocolate with Baked Beignets and the Frozen Brazo for a satisfying sweet finish. Budget about P700/head.
KAREN’S KITCHEN KAPITOLYO
17A San Rafael St Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig
Telephone: +632 696-3332 or 234-5118
Mobile: +63 917 539-4968
Website: http://www.karenskitchen.com.ph/
Facebook: Karen’s Kitchen
Operating Hours:
Monday – Saturday Dine-in: 12 nn – 9 pm
Cake Pickups: 11 am – 9 pm
Sundays: CLOSED
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: We paid for our meal the first time we visited and got to try the rest of the menu on our 2nd and 3rd trips as Karen’s guests. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
P.S. Check out the secret “out house” in the restroom.
